Page 6 of Security and Submission
“Does it look like she’s been there?”
“Well, there are some pizza boxes and some dishes in the sink that look recent,” Yasmine said, going to the left where the family room was. She peeked over the back of the couch to see if Sarah was lying there or something. Nothing. Turning around, Yasmine headed back through the kitchen toward the bedrooms. “And the doggy bowls are still out. There’s even a tiny bit of water left in one of them.”
“Oh, poor Sarah,” Grace said mournfully, echoing Yasmine’s thoughts.
“Sarah?” Yasmine called. Half of the house was a split-level, with several steps up to the bedrooms or several steps down to another common room right next to it. She didn’t see Sarah in the common room. No answer again. Yasmine shook her head as dread started to build inside her. Her heart was starting to race even faster now, and her palms felt sweaty. “I’m going to go up to check her bedroom and bathroom and make sure she didn’t fall out of the tub or anything.”
“Oh my God. Thank you so much for doing this, Yasmine. I cannot thank you enough.” Grace sounded on the verge of tears, which helped Yasmine overcome some of the creeping certainty that she was going to end up finding something she really didn’t want to.
Like a body.
Stop thinking about that.
Every step up the stairs felt as if she was headed to certain doom. But there were no flies. There was no weird smell. Yasmine braced herself against what she might find in the bedrooms. Maybe Sarah had just really peacefully… gone to sleep.
“Huh.” Yasmine frowned at the neatly made bed in the first doorway. Maybe this was the guest bedroom. But when she looked in the next room, the bed there was neatly made as well. “It doesn’t look like the beds have been slept in. That or she was up early this morning and made them.”
“So, maybe she was up…” Grace’s voice had turned hopeful.
Yasmine turned and checked the bathroom, even though she could see through the crack that the light was off.
“Nothing. I don’t think she’s here.” Relief and worry surged through Yasmine, along with the desire to get the hell out of there. Sarah might not be home, but that meant she was up and around somewhere in the world, and Yasmine was an uninvited guest.
“Well… crap. I don’t know how to feel about that. Where is she?” The worry was back in Grace’s voice, which Yasmine felt bad about, but there wasn’t anything she could do.
“I don’t know. I’m so sorry.”
“No, no, don’t be sorry. You’ve already gone above and beyond. Thank you, thank you so much.” Grace sighed. “I’ll keep calling around. Maybe I’ll try her parents again and see if they’ve found out anything and just forgot to update me.”
“Okay,” Yasmine said, letting herself out the back and closing it firmly behind her. “Let me know if you do. I do hope she’s okay.”
“Me, too. Thank you again. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” As she left the backyard, Yasmine hung up the phone and quickly texted Veronica that she was leaving and that she had not been horribly murdered. In fact, everything at the house seemed completely normal other than the fact it was empty, which was a mystery in and of itself.
Where on earth was Sarah? She hoped Grace found out soon, and that everything was okay. Otherwise, Veronica might suggest something like alien abduction. Or maybe a kidnapping murderer. God, Yasmine hoped she was just out shopping or something and had lost her phone, and she wasn’t actually abducted and missing.
In the meantime, she’d done everything that she could, and she still felt a little shaky. But she had work to get back to. And a cupcake to get on the way.
Chapter 3
Yasmine
Sitting down at her desk, Yasmine unwrapped her cupcake. Audrey hadn’t had much time to chat because the shop had been pretty busy for a Wednesday afternoon, but that suited Yasmine just fine. She hadn’t really wanted to talk.
Mmm. Chocolate raspberry truffle. Her favorite. This was exactly what she needed right now.
Taking the first bite, she savored the fruit and chocolate combination. A bit tart, a lot sweet, and oh so silky smooth. Audrey made a damn good cupcake. It almost made Yasmine losing her fiancé and her hopes and dreams for the future worth it.
Almost.
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at it, her heart skipping a little beat when she saw that it was Grace, hopefully with good news. Please be good news.
“Hello?”
“Hello.” Grace’s voice didn’t sound super excited, but she didn’t sound super down either. She sounded more tired than anything. “I just wanted to call to give you an update. Sarah’s parents got in touch with her work, and we found out that she had a heart attack this morning.”
“Oh my God!” Yasmine sat up straight in her chair. “Is she… how is she?”
